Feed mechanism for slicing machines



13 1932- A. c. SENSOW- 3 3 FEED MECHANISM FOR SLICING MACHINES Filed 001;. 8, 192

Patented May 17, 1932 UNITED STATES ANTON G.- SENSOW, OIEILA. FORTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO U. SLICING MACHINE COM PATENT OFFICE PANY, or LA roars, INDIANA, A conronn'rron or INDIANA .rnnn MECHANISM non SLICING MACHINES Application filed October 8, 1926. SerialltTo. 140,255.

This invention relates to machines forslicing meat and other commodities, and has for its object the provision of feed mechanism in which lost motionor backlash will be avoided and which shall be of improved construction and operation.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is atop plan view of a portion of a 11$ slicing machine showing one embodiment of the present invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The numeral 10 designates the base or frame of a slicing machine having a recipro- 2b cating table 11 mounted thereon provided with gnidew'ays12 on which a feed table or 1' meat support 13 is mounted to slide. A feed screw 14 is provided to engage anut 15 on the feed table and move the feed table toward the cutting plane of the slicing knife. The feed screw may be intermittently rotated by wellknow ratchet mechanism, operated in any suitable way from the moving parts of the slicing machine. The operating mechanism shown is similar to that described and claimed in prior application, Serial No. 120 635, filed July 6, 1 926, by Hendrik Stulrart. I I v p In feed mechanism for slicing machines, in order that uniform slices may be formed,

it is essential that there shall be no lost motion in the driving train for transmitting force from the initial operating mechanism to the feed table. In this train of mechanismthe' driver must always be held against the driven member, for if because of inertia of the moving parts or for other reasons, the driven member should be carried away from the driver, the accuracy ofthe feeding operation would be impaired and uneven slices would result; It isapparent that where a feed screw ;is used it is desirable that the screw be held against its abutment at one end and not be permitted tomove back and forth in the direction of its length.

Inthe form of feed shown in the drawings, the feed screw 14 abuts against an end thrustbearing 16 at the point 17 and is held in close contact against this bearing by a spring 18 enclosed in the bearing 19 for the opposite end of'the feed screw and held in place by an abutment plug 20 by means of which the compression of the spring 18 may be regulated. Where a helical spring of this kind is used and it is permitted to bear directly against the end of the feed screw the friction between the spring and feed screw subjects the spring to torsion which tends to wind up the spring so that when the driving force on the feed screw is released the spring acts to rotate the feed screw in a re-. verse direction, thus giving rise to looseness between the feed screw and its driven member. To obviate this difliculty, the resent invention provides a bearing mem er arenclosed in the bearing 19 and having one face- 22 engaging the end of the feed screw 14. The spring 18' engages the opposite face of the member 21 from that which bears against the end of'the screw 14 and the force of the spring is transmitted by the member to the screw. The member 21 is held against rotation by a pin 23 extending through the walls of the bearing 19 and engaging a slot 24 in the member 21'. The slot 24 permits movement of the member 21 toward the screw 14 under the force of the spring 18 but prevents the rotary force of the screw 14 from being transmitted to the spring 18. In this way, the tendency to wind the spring 18 is entirely removed and there is no force acting on the screw 14 toreverse the direction of rotation thereof when the driving force of the "feed mechanism is released; It is found in practice that this entirely removes backlash be tween the screw. 14 and the nut 15 due to the reverseaction of the'spring 18. p

The face of the member, 21 engaging the end of thescrew 14 may be made conical, as shown, to increase thefriction between the member and screw to prevent any overthrow of the screw. The engagingsurface may be made of friction producing material. This will make it possible to use ailight er spring ,1

than would be required to produce the same screw, andmeans; for

frictional retardation on the screw if no special frictional contact were provided. A

1. The combination with a feed screw having a thrust surface thereon, of aspring for producing end thrust on said thrust surface, amemberinterposed between said spring and thrust surface of said feed screw for transmitting the force of said spring to said feed holding said member against rotation;:

. 2. The combination with a feed screw, of a spring for exerting force on said feed screw, a member interposed between said feed screw and spring for transmitting force from said spring to said feedscrew, and means for holding said member againstrotation, saidholding means being arranged to. permit movementof said member toward and away from said feed screw.

3. The combination with a feed screw, of a spring for exerting force on said feed screw, a member interposed between said screw and spring, said member having'a slot therein, and a pin extending throughsald slot for holding said member against rotation, said slot being arranged to permit movement of said member relative to said pin in the direction of the axis ofsaid feed screw..

' 4. The combination with a rotary feed screw, of an abutment member for exerting force on said feed screw, means interposed between said abutment member andsald rotary member for transmitting said force, and

.means for holding said interposed means against rotation under the influence of said feed screw. I

5., The combination with a slicing machine having a feed support, a screwv for feeding said support, a nut connecting said screw and support, means. for rotating said feed screw, an end thrustbearing for said feed screw, a spring for holding said feed screw against said end. thrust bearing, an intermediate member interposed between said spring and feed screw, and meansfor holding said intermediate member against rotation while permitting movement thereof the direction of the axis of said feed screw.

6. In combination, a feed screw having an end thrust bearing atone end thereof, a fric tion contact member engaging the opposite end of said feed screw, means for holding said. contact member against said; feed screw, and means for preventing rotation of said contact member while permitting movement thereof in the direction of the axis of said feed screw- 7 In combination, a feed screw having an end thrust bearing atone end thereof, a contact member having a tapered contact surface. engagingthe opposite end of said feedscrew, abspifing for pressing said contact member against saidscrew, and meansfor. hold ng, said. me ber against: ro ation while permitting movement thereof toward and from said feed screw.

8. A feed mechanism for slicing machines comprising a feed screw, a member contacting with said feed screw but prevented from being movedby the rotation, of said feed screw, yielding meansfornrging said member against said feed screw to thereby resist the rotation of said feed screw, and means stationary with-.irespect' to said member act-- .mgias a'means foraereatmg:alyieldin force in said yielding means, said yielding means being operatively connected to said feed screw insuch .a manner that said yielding means cannot have energy stored therein by the rotation of saidfeed screw; 1 3,

9. feed mechanism for slicing machines comprlsing a feed screw, a s ring, a nonrotatable member interposed etween said: feed screw andspring, and means for com pressing said spring in a direction to cause I friction. between'said feed screw and said non-rotatable. member, said lastsmentioned means also beingfor thepurpose of adjust; ingthe force exerted on said member byisaid spring. Y

10. A slicing machine feed mechanismcom.

prising a feed screw, a beveledrecessinone end of said feed screw, a non-rotatable member having a beveled surface for engaging the beveled surface: ofsaid recess, anda spring for urgingsa-id member into. engagement with the end. of said feed screw.

g 11, A slicing machine feedmechanislncomprising a feed screw, a. beveled recess in. one end of'said feedlscrew, a member having a, beveled surface. co-operating with said baa-.-

eled surfacev ofsaid recess, and resilient means. for urg ng sa dmember and said feed screw table, bearingson said feed table,- a feed screw" j 'o urnalfedj in; said bearings, a;non -r otata b1e.v member within one. of said. bearings, adjacent, a portion of said feed screw a, spring within said bearing for-urgingsaidmember and feed. screw into, frictional. engagement. with each: other, and an adjustable, abutment for exert ing a compressive force: on said spring.

14. A slicing machinegcomprisi-ng a: feed table, bearings on. said feed tablaa feed screw journaledinsaid bearings, aconical non-ro.-. tatable member with-in one. of said; bearings; adjacent the. end. POEUOIL: of feed screw,

said end portion being provided with a conical recess adapted to be engaged by said conical member, and a yielding means within said bearing for urging said conical member into frictional engagement with said conical recess.

15. In a slicing machine, the combination with a feed screw, of a spring for producing end thrust on said feed screw, a member in terposed between said screw and spring to transmit said end thrust from said spring to said screw and means for preventing rotation of said member when said feed screw is actuated.

, 16. In a slicing machine, the combination with a rotary feed screw, of a spring for exerting end thrust against said feed screw, an intermediate member interposed between said rotary member and spring, and means for holding said intermediate member against rotation while permitting movement axially of said feed screw under the force of said spring.

17. The combination with a slicing machine having a feed table for supporting material to be sliced, of a feed screw for moving said feed table, a nut for connecting said feed screw and feed table, means for rotating said feed screw, a spring for exerting end thrust on said feed screw, means interposed between said spring and feed screw, and means for preventing rotation of said last mentioned means when said feed screw is rotated.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 30th day of September, A. D. 1926.

ANTON C. SENSOV. 

